When an alien beneficiary cannot meet one of the higher priority exceptions to the ANP (AEC’s 2, 7, 8 or 9) shown in RS 02610.013B, consider whether he or she can meet a citizenship exception. There are four exceptions to the ANP based on the beneficiary’s country of citizenship. The four citizenship exceptions and AEC’s are:

AEC 3 – 10 years residence exception

AEC 4 – 40 Quarters of Coverage (QC) exception

AEC 5 – Meets Treaty exception

AEC 6 – Meets Social Insurance exception

For a complete explanation of all exceptions to the ANP, see RS 02610.010.

For the additional requirements certain dependents and survivors must meet, see RS 02610.025.

NOTE: An alien residing in the U.S. Treasury restricted countries, currently Cuba and North Korea, cannot meet any exception to the ANP for any month of such residence.

An alien is a resident if he or she is present in the restricted country for a significant period of time and makes, or intends to make, his or her home there.

For information about Treasury restricted countries, see RS 02650.001.

B. Explanation for the list of countries chart showing status of ANP exceptions based on citizenship

The chart in this section contains a list of countries and shows what citizenship exception, if any, applies. Only citizenship of a country (a sovereign nation) that meets the ANP’s specified conditions can provide a citizenship exception. Only the foreign country can determine who its citizens are.

For more information about foreign citizenship and special considerations, see RS 02640.020.